


(Im)perfect

by percyspandapillowpet



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, I know I already wrote a proposal fic but I wanted to do it again, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Some angst, a whole lotta fluff, they're like 20ish in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 01:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17235149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/percyspandapillowpet/pseuds/percyspandapillowpet
Summary: He was thankful his suit was black, because he was starting to sweat through it.His stomach wasn’t holding up well, either. He hadn’t eaten anything in hours, but he felt like he was going to throw up any second. He stood in the bathroom still, now holding a wet cloth to his forehead. His hand was shaking, causing the water to drip down his sleeve.Why was he so nervous?





	(Im)perfect

“I’m gonna do it today.”

Hazel threw her arms around him immediately. “Oh, Nico! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thank you,” he said, waiting a moment before wriggling out of her grip. Sometimes he had to compromise.

She continued to hold onto his arms. “Can I tell everyone? I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

He knew that was a lie, and he sighed. “I don’t care. Go ahead.”

She squeezed him tightly. “Yay! This is so _exciting!_ Make sure you catch me before I head back to New Rome tomorrow, okay? I wanna hear all the details.”

“Of course.”

“And you’ve got it?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“In my coat pocket,” he said.

She smiled. “Perfect. It’s going to be perfect, Nico. Don’t worry.”

***

He leaned against the counter, adjusting his tie in the mirror. To be frank, he was a mess. His hair was a mess—Piper had cut it for him a few days ago and left it long enough on the top for some to still hang in his face, so he didn’t feel too exposed, but he now had no idea how to properly style it. His tie was a mess—he couldn’t get it to lie flat or have it sit close enough to his shirt collar.

And his head was a mess. He kept dropping things, he couldn’t stop pacing around, and he knew he was hyperventilating.

He had never felt so sick to his stomach—not in a long time, at least. He felt like he was about to face the scariest monster of his life.

Then there was a knock on the bathroom door.

“Come in,” he called.

The door opened.

“Hey,” Will greeted, stepping through. “Somebody looks handsome.”

Nico continued to tug at his tie as he made his way over and slung his arms around his neck from behind.

“Not me,” he said.

“Liar,” Will replied, resting his chin on his shoulder.

“I’m not used to this new haircut yet.”

“I love it.”

Nico turned his head and kissed the side of his face. “You’re too nice.”

“And you’re too hard on yourself,” Will said, but he was smiling. “We’ve talked about this.”

He ignored that. “How was class?”

“Pretty good,” Will replied. “I got my exam back. Got a ninety-eight.”

Nico chuckled. “Nerd.”

“Thanks.”

“You’e gonna be a great doctor,” he said, finally dropping his hands from his collar. “The very best.”

Will twisted around to kiss him, and then he pulled back. “Well, I suppose I’ve got to get dressed, too.”

“Yeah,” Nico replied. “The concert’s at five, and your sister told me the strawberry van isn’t waiting for stragglers.”

Will laughed. “That’s only because _she’s_ driving. She’d totally leave us behind on purpose.”

“Let’s hope not.” Then he put a hand on Will’s chest and gently pushed him toward the door. “Go get dressed.”

***

He was thankful his suit was black, because he was starting to sweat through it.

His stomach wasn’t holding up well, either. He hadn’t eaten anything in hours, but he felt like he was going to throw up any second. He stood in the bathroom still, now holding a wet cloth to his forehead. His hand was shaking, causing the water to drip down his sleeve.

Why was he so nervous?

He and Will had been together for five years. They knew everything about each other. They were never afraid of anything as long as they stood side-by-side.

So why did this feel so different?

There was a knock on the door—this time, the cabin door. Nico listened as Will answered it and spoke briefly with someone. Then he walked across the room and knocked on the bathroom door again.

“Nico? Are you ready to go?”

He wanted to move, but he couldn’t bring his arm down. His feet seemed glued to the floor. And Will shouldn’t have to see him like this.

“Nico?” he repeated. His voice was higher, more concerned. “Are you alright?”

He wanted to speak, but he knew his voice would crack.

“Nico, I’m opening the door.”

A few seconds later, he saw Will’s reflection in the mirror next to his own. He rushed over and grabbed his shoulders, turning him around.

“Oh, Nico, what’s wrong? You’re white as a ghost.” He took his wrist gently, pulling away the wet cloth, and placed the back of his hand against his forehead. “And you feel like you’re coming down with a fever. When did this start?”

Nico shook his head. “I don’t know. I—I just haven’t been feeling well all day. But I’ll be fine, Will. I don’t want you to miss the concert.”

Will’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to leave you here if you’re getting sick.”

“It’s your brother,” he said. “You can’t miss it. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he said. His voice was so shaky; he hated it. “I’ll catch up with you. I just need a few minutes. I’ll meet you there.”

“Nico, I—”

“It’s okay,” he said. He took Will’s hands from his shoulders and held them. “I’ll see you soon.”

Will was still frowning, but he nodded. “Okay. But if anything gets worse—”

“I’ll stay home,” he said. “I promise.”

Will kissed his forehead. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

***

At five fifteen, Nico managed to calm himself down enough to shadow travel to the concert venue.

He was incredibly embarrassed and normally wouldn’t do something like this, but he needed to be with Will. He decided that he needed to make this night as perfect as it possibly could be and get over his ridiculous anxieties.

He snuck into the hall past the ushers and scanned the rows of audience members until he located Will and the others. The seat next to Will—an aisle seat, thankfully—was open, and he slid into it during a round of applause for the orchestra.

“Hey,” Will said. His face lit up as soon as he saw him, which still managed to make Nico’s heart race after all this time. “Glad you could make it.”

“Me too,” he replied. Then he glanced Will up and down—he had barely noticed it earlier, but he looked incredible all dressed up. His suit was gray with wire-thin gold stripes. He was wearing the fancy watch Nico had bought him for Christmas last year.

“You look really nice,” he whispered as the next song started. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Will smiled and took his hand. “It’s okay. Thanks.” Then he leaned in, his bond cues tickling Nico’s forehead. “Hey, what do you say we take a walk down by the pier after this? I think the Christmas lights are still up.”

It was almost as if he knew what he was planning.

“That’d be perfect,” he replied. And now he had somewhat of a plan.

He was starting to feel a little better.

***

But an hour later, things had changed.

Based on the sporadic rumbling and pitter-patter on the roof of the building, a storm was brewing outside. And who wanted to walk by a pier in the rain?

“It’s okay,” Will said to him. “We can go another day.”

But for Nico, there was no other day. He’d been working up the courage for this moment for months. He knew that if he didn’t do it today, he might not be able to for a long time.

So the pain in his stomach returned, along with the sweating and the shaky hands. Will caught him loosening his tie and fanning his face with his program a couple of times and suggested he take off his jacket, but upon considering the sweat stains that were most likely apparent on his white shirt, he refused.

Austin was playing very well, and it had been so long since Nico had attended a full orchestral concert, so he really wanted to enjoy it, but he was finding it more and more difficult to focus on the music.

He was also repeatedly sticking his hand in his coat pocket to “double-check” that _it_ was still there, which was ridiculous because of course it was. Will noticed this, too, and asked him what he was looking for. He couldn’t say, of course, and just replied “nothing.”

The lie definitely wasn’t believable, but it wasn’t questioned.

The conductor announced the final song, and that only worsened his nerves. The moment was going to creep up on him sooner or later. He was convinced he was going to throw up on the old lady sitting in front of him, so he tapped Will on the shoulder.

“I’m going to find the restroom before it gets crowded.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you in the parking lot—I’ll try to get out of here as fast as I can. I’m gonna wait to find Austin outside.”

Nico squeezed Will’s hand once more before he rose. As soon as he was out of sight, he ran.

Once he found the bathroom, he collapsed against the sink. It wasn’t soon before the tears started falling.

He knew, rationally, that he had no real reason to be worried. He loved Will. Will loved him. They had already had many talks about this and knew it was the next natural step for them. He knew that there was very, very little chance of receiving “no” for an answer and that it was going to make them both the happiest people on the planet.

The issue was that he wanted to make this day special. He didn’t want it to just be a ring and a question; he wanted it to be a treasured memory. Something Will would never forget. He’d done so much for Nico, given him the best years of his life while helping him recover from the bad ones. He wanted to make sure Will understood how much that meant to him.

And he was already screwing it up.

It felt like only seconds, but ten minutes or so must have passed, because Nico started hearing chatter and footsteps outside the restroom.

He started to panic. People were going to come flooding in here, including his friends, and they were going to see him crying—

As soon as he heard the door start to creak, he threw himself into a shadow.

***

He didn’t intend to land in Camp Half-Blood.

He had wanted to meet Will in the parking lot and head back in the van with everyone else, but sometimes when he panicked, his shadow-travel brought him to the first place that crossed his mind.

It was dark out, and he could see the glow of the bonfire in the distance and hear the kids’ laughter. He was in front of the Big House, thankfully, so no one was around to watch as he walked over to the porch, sat down on the steps, and dropped his head onto his knees.

He knew it wouldn’t be long until his friends arrived. The concert hall was only a short drive away. He had no idea what he was going to say to Will.

He was also sure that by that point they all had heard from his sister what was supposed to happen that night. He didn’t know what to say to them, either, if it didn’t end up happening.

The air was warm due to Chiron’s weather controls. At least it wasn’t raining there. He slid off his jacket and was about to toss it behind him, but then he remembered.

He had made it himself—well, with the help and guidance of a few passionate Hephaestus and Aphrodite kids. Hazel had been teaching him about gemstones, and they had both been practicing turning regular stones into jewels and precious gems—a skill neither of them had previously known they possessed, but a skill that captured the attention of the adults and young campers alike. Hazel enjoyed the attention, Nico not as much—and he worked hard to keep it a secret from Will—but he did like making a little kid smile each time he gave them an amethyst or garnet.

After a few attempts that ended in imperfections, he had decided on the one. It was a gold band, sized perfectly to Will’s finger (Nico definitely hadn’t sneakily measured it with a wire while he was asleep), studded with three yellow topazes that matched perfectly with the color of his hair. On the inside, as a last-minute addition, he had engraved a tiny sun.

Nico thought it was perfect. He hoped Will would feel the same way.

As he held it between his fingers, he stared at it and contemplated if and how he could still salvage this night. He thought the fancy concert would be perfect. He thought they would be somewhere romantic and not next to the entrance of the infirmary.

The infirmary. It could be fitting and poignant…or was he crazy?

He opened the door and turned on the light.

There were currently no patient—and no medics, since all of the Apollo kids went to see Austin. He headed straight for the storage closet. He only had a few minutes, but he could potentially make this work.

He first rummaged through the box of Christmas decorations and pulled out a few strands of white fairy lights. He plugged them together and stood on the beds with a roll of tape in his mouth in order to string them along the perimeter of the ceiling. He then pulled a few scented candles out of the bathroom, lit them, and placed them on Will’s desk—well, the desk that used to be Will’s. Since he began med school, Kayla and Austin became co-directors of the infirmary. They decided to share the labor because of their other obligations to archery and music training. They were great at it, of course, but they always complained to Nico about how much they missed Will’s leadership.

Speaking of which…Nico opened one of the desk drawers, moved a few papers aside, and sure enough, there it was—Will’s former badge. He used to pin it to his white lab coat every day. He had made it himself. Nico had always teased him about it.

 _Solace, Will,_ it read.

Nico grabbed a sticky note and a sharpie and filled in the rest of the sentence. He then pinned it to his own shirt.

Once he was done, he considered turning off the lights, but then figured that he should leave them on until Will noticed them.

He then headed into the bathroom and faced himself in the mirror.

He’d been doing that a lot today.

He still wasn’t used to his haircut, and it seemed like each strand had a personal vendetta against the gel he’d put in it. His forehead was shiny with sweat and his eyes were a bit bloodshot, so he rinsed his face with cold water in the sink. Even that managed to lift his spirits a little. he found a bottle of cologne in the cabinet, sprayed it in the air, and sniffed it—and smiled once he realized that it was Will’s from about three years prior. He used it anyway. He cuffed his shirtsleeves to his elbows since they were a bit damp and very wrinkled. He tried fixing his stupid tie one last time, gave up, and left it hanging halfway down his chest.

It was imperfect, just like him. Why try to be someone he’s not?

For the first time, he smiled back at his reflection.

After inhaling and exhaling a few times to even out his breathing, he washed his hands and left the bathroom.

He stood by the window, and sure enough, he saw a faint glow of headlights coming form the other side of Half-Blood Hill. Will would be here soon.

His stomach dropped again suddenly. What if Will was angry with him for leaving? What if he wouldn’t come looking for him? What if he was still waiting in the parking lot?

But a few minutes later, figures began emerging over the hill, and one ran in front of the others. Nico watched as Will’s head snapped toward the infirmary when he noticed that the lights were on. He started sprinting.

 _This is it,_ Nico thought.

He couldn’t mess this up any more than he already had.

He stepped back from the window and flicked the light switch, allowing the candles and string lights to shine on their own.

A moment later, the door burst open.

“Nico?”

Then he saw him.

“Oh my gods. You’re here. Are you alright?” He was almost completely out of breath. His hair was windblown and there was grass stuck to his shoes. His jacket was wet.

In other words, he looked perfect.

“Hey,” Nico said. His voice wavered a little, but that was okay. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t—I meant to wait in the parking lot like you said. But I somehow ended up back here.”

He had never seen Will look as incredibly confused as he did while he glanced around the infirmary. “You—what’s all this? You’re—” He stopped moving when his eyes landed on the badge and the sticky note. “Oh my gods.”

With a deep breath, Nico stepped forward and took his hands. Will didn’t back away. In fact, he couldn’t seem to move at all. His mouth was stuck open.

_Well, here goes nothing._

He dropped to one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket. When he held it up, the soft lighting reflected off of the gold and matched the glow in Will’s eyes.

Will’s free hand flew up to cover his mouth. “Oh my gods,” he said again. “Holy shit.”

Nico couldn’t help laughing a little. He managed with one finger to point to the badge.

“Solace, will you marry me?”

Will blinked, and two tears ran down his face. “Oh my gods. Oh my gods. I— _yes_.” He fell to his own knees and pulled Nico into his arms. “Of course, Nico. Holy shit. Yes.”

Nico let his eyes water and fell against his shoulder. “Jeez. I’m glad I didn’t have someone record this. We wouldn’t be able to show it to all the little kids.”

Will half-laughed, half-sobbed into his neck. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Nico said.

“I so wasn’t expecting this.”

“Really?” Nico asked. “I was worried I had made it kind of obvious. I was so nervous and fidgety all day, and I couldn’t focus on anything, and _gods_ was I sick to my stomach. I’d never been this nervous in my entire life, Will.”

“Aww.” Will kissed his shoulder. “No reason to be nervous. This is…” He squeezed him even tighter. “Perfect.”

Nico pulled back, only just far enough to kiss him.

***

When they finally separated from each other, it wasn’t for very long.

They rose from the floor and sat down on the nearest infirmary bed. Will rest his head on Nico’s shoulder. Nico reached across to grab his left hand, and he slid the ring onto his fourth finger.

“It’s beautiful,” Will murmured, extending his arm out in front of them. “Where did you find this?”

“Well…I sort of made it.”  
“You _made_ this?”

“I had help.”

Will tackled him in a hug. They both fell to the bed, facing each other.

“You are the greatest. I love you.”

Nico laughed and brushed Will’s hair out of his eyes. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Will tapped the badge. “And this. This is clever. I think you’re finally inheriting my sense of humor.”

Nico pushed him onto his back. “You’re ridiculous.”

Will stayed there, glancing from the ceiling to the desk and then back to him again. “Hey. This is the bed you first stayed in. Those three days.”

“Oh. Yeah. How could I forget?”

Will smiled. “I put you here because it was the closest one to my desk. That way I could pretend to work while I was actually watching you.”

“Creep.”

“Hey, I was just looking out for your health.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Will rolled back over and kissed him. “Doesn’t matter now, _fiancé._ ”

Nico nearly choked. He could only imagine how red his face was—thankfully the lights were dim. “Oh.”

Will then reached out and took his hand. Nico ran his thumb over the ring. “Seriously, Nico,” he said. “Thank you. This might not have been everything you imagined it would be, but it was perfect. I promise.”

Nico just smiled and squeezed his hand.

“And don’t think this is the end,” he continued. “I’m getting you a ring, too. And springing it upon you when you least expect it.”

“Shouldn’t have said that,” Nico replied. “Now I’ll be expecting it.”

Will sighed and buried his head back in his shoulder. “Shut up.” Nico laughed and held him close.

How could he ever have imagined it wouldn’t go this way?

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo everyone! Did I expect to write another fic this soon? Nope! Am I happy I did? Yup!
> 
> This was actually entirely based on a DREAM I had last night, believe it or not. I was reading Solangelo fics far too late into the night and actually had a dream that they went to see an orchestra, Nico shadow-travelled away, and then they got engaged at the end. I don't even know how I managed to make that an actual story, but here we are. I started writing this as soon as I woke up this morning and did pretty much nothing else all day until I finished it tonight.
> 
> Thanks for reading; I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!


End file.
